The Securities and Exchange Commission has amended the compliance dates for
a requirement to treat employee stock options as an expense.

For a Limited Time receive a FREE Compensation Market Analysis Report! Find out how much you should be paying to attract and retain the best applicants and employees, with customized information for your industry, location, and job. Get Your Report Now!

The SEC's new rule allows companies to implement the stock-options rule at
the beginning of their next fiscal year, instead of the next reporting period,
that begins after June 15, 2005, or December 15, 2005 for small business issuers.

This means, for example, that the financial statements for a company operating
on a calendar-year basis need not comply with the stock-option rule until it
files the interim financial statements for the first quarter of 2006 with the
SEC.

The financial statements for a company, other than a small business issuer,
with a June 30 year-end, however, must comply with the rule when the interim
financial statements for the quarter beginning July 1, 2005 are filed with the
SEC.

The SEC's decision changes only the dates for compliance with the Financial Accounting
Standards Board standard. The standard requires public companies to recognize the
compensation cost relating to stock options in financial statements.